'Kejriwal planned strategy to oust Bhushan, Yadav'

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Anil Sinha, New Delhi, March 5, 2015, DHNS:,

Mar 06 2015, 02:14am ist

updated: Mar 06 2015, 02:14am ist

Details of Aam Aadmi Party’s national executive meeting reveal a well planned strategy by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to eject his detractors Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from the party’s Political Affairs Committee, leaving no scope for their honourable exit.

Kejriwal is said to have closely monitored the entire proceedings and also rejected a last minute compromise formula which would have allowed Bhushan and Yadav to quit on their own.

This was contrary to what the AAP leader had tweeted a day before the meeting that he “refused to be drawn in this ugly battle”.

“He monitored the entire discussion that went on in the National Executive during its six- hour long meeting on Wednesday. At one stage, the negotiators even reached a formula which would have given Bhushan and Yadav some satisfaction while quitting the Political Affairs Committee. They had said that they would resign from their positions with the condition that the National Committee would reconstitute the PAC and give proper representation to women, Dalits and other social groups. They also said that it should be done through election and not by selection. Kejriwal rejected the idea and virtually ordered that they should be sacked,” a party leader told Deccan Herald.

The issue of reconstitution was raised in the February 26 meeting as well. The National Executive had decided that it would be reconstituted with the consent of Arvind. But he did not agree to it. He wanted to select the members. Bhushan and Yadav along with few other members were opposed to it.

Party leaders are also questioning the process adopted for the voting. Some members wanted a secret ballot. However, it was rejected. They claim that it would have resulted in the defeat of the resolution that was moved to sack the two leaders. The leaders say that it would have given opportunity to those leaders who did not want to come out openly against a “harsh” resolution.

“It is strange that the meeting did not pass a resolution on the national budget which affects the entire population,” said a senior leader.

Meanwhile, a sensational post by AAP Maharashtra convenor Mayank Gandhi was countered by Ashish Khetan. Khetan responded to the post by saying: “Some people will be attending TV shows, others will be working for the development of Delhi and the country. Some will write history and others blog.”

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